Whelp, it’s 2023, for better or worse. 2022 flew past like a wild wind, and while I didn’t accomplish many of my personal goals, I can’t say that we didn’t have a pretty full year. So, here’s the recap of the highlights:
Books Read: 43
I read a little bit less than my goal, but I did better than I thought I would. My top three G-rated reads were:
- Paperback Crush. This is a non-fiction work that takes a retrospective look at the teen novels of the 70s-90s. If you grew up on Babysitter’s Club, Fear Street, Sweet Valley High, etc., this walk down memory lane is definitely worth it.
- Kitchen Front. I’m not usually a fan of historic fiction, but I ended up really enjoying this one. Set during WWII, it follows a group of women, each trying to win a recipe contest, but the recipes must be based on the government’s wartime rations.
- The Sweet Taste of Muscadines. A southern coming-home story with rich characters, scenery, and family secrets.
As a side-note, I read plenty of trashy romance novels this year, but that’s between me and my Kindle.
New Baking Recipes Tried: 14
While I am a pretty confident cook, I’ve never been much of a baker. I have plenty of recipes I grew up with, but I tend to get terribly impatient with baking. I did not attempt nearly as many new recipes as my set goal, but something is better than nothing, I suppose. My top two favorites were the Basque Lemon Ginger Cheesecake I saw on Food Network and the Jam Thumbprint cookies from Cheryl Day’s Treasury of Southern Baking. (Yes, that sounds basic, but I ate those damn things for breakfast for a week)
Finished Knits: 9
Obviously, that is way lower than my usual year, but this queen-size beast of a blanket damn near killed me. My finished objects included two baby blankets, one sweater, two hats, one pair of slippers, one pair of mittens, and a novelty business card holder. I also won five first place ribbons and one second place at the state fair.
Places Traveled: 7
This was certainly the travel year because we celebrated a lot of milestones. G-Man graduated in 2020 amid Covid so he missed out on all the things, Bear graduated, and the husband and I celebrated 20 years. I loved the Italy Trip, and DFW Fiber Fest. Cancun was an impromptu but super-fun. Bear finally got to use the concert tickets he received for his 16th birthday…in you guessed it, 2020.
We had so many other things going on throughout the year that by the time we hit this week, I think we were all feeling ready for some quiet. Or maybe the past week of Hell has me thinking so. Yep, it’s science fair project time, my friends. That veritable torture chamber for parents. In related news, I’ll never get ice from a fast-food ice machine again:
As for 2023, I have set some goals and have my planner in order (Commit30 if you are wondering):
Kitchen:
- Continue expanding my baking skills, both savory and sweet. I hope to try at least 30 new recipes this year.
- Expand my pasta skills. Italy inspired me soooooo much and I would love to dive deeper into this one.
- Finish the family cookbook revisions and re-print it for everyone. This will be a big project. Now that my favorite software is defunct, I’m struggling to find one I like.
- Be a little more adventurous in recipes and cuisines.
- Source more locally (I’ll talk about this in a future post).
Fiber Arts
- Say it with me: KNIT FROM STASH. My yarn stash is ridiculous, and I’m committed to knitting from it exclusively. However, my husband is taking me to Rhinebeck this year, so…
- Learn to spin. I received a spinning wheel last year and have been too intimidated to really get into it.
- Finish at least two UFOs that have been languishing away.
- Finish Bean’s needlepoint stocking.
Health/Personal
- Fix this trainwreck. ’nuff said.
- Less phone time. I did not realize just how much time I waste scrolling when I could be doing things that actually bring me joy.
- Realize skincare is a thing.
- Not use profanity during my mammogram. (yeah….we can dream, can’t we?)
So, there ya have it. I’ve posted before that I actually like setting resolutions/goals at the beginning of the year. Some years were complete busts, but some actually worked out. It doesn’t hurt to try. 2022 was amazing, but now that I’m past the busiest year I can remember, I’m ready for some quiet time to focus ahead.
After I get past this science fair bull$**t.
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